1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to workpiece holders. More specifically, it relates to workpiece holders wherein a predetermined portion of the shaft is measured out and then held in position by the device for cutting. Even more specifically, it relates to a device that, while the workpiece is being held, is rotatable to bring the workpiece into contact with the cutting blade. In general, however, the workpiece holder of this invention could be used to conveniently and precisely hold and manipulate any piece of bar stock upon which a machining operation is to be performed.
Thus it can be seen that the potential fields of use for this invention are myriad and the particular preferred embodiment described herein is in no way meant to limit the use of the invention to the particular field chosen for exposition of the details of the invention.
A comprehensive listing of all the possible fields to which this invention may be applied is limited only by the imagination and is therefore not provided herein. Some of the more obvious applications are mentioned herein in the interest of providing a full and complete disclosure of the unique properties of this previously unknown general purpose article of manufacture. It is to be understood from the outset that the scope of this invention is not limited to these fields or to the specific examples of potential uses presented hereinafter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices for holding various workpieces in place for cutting are old and well known in the art. Many manual cutting operations provide a holder or jig to hold the work stationary while the tool is manually moved. However, this invention is of the type where a rotating cutting tool is in a stationary relative position and the workpiece holder allows for precise manual moving of the work to and from the cutter. The applicant is unaware of any prior art that anticipates or makes obvious the instant invention as claimed.
In customizing a set of golf clubs for a buyer, it is occasionally necessary to shorten the shaft of a club so that it can be more comfortably swung. Prior manual methods of accomplishing this have been awkward and time consuming. The present invention allows the shortening of the club shaft to be accomplished in a precise and simple manner. An adjustable stop rod having calibrated measurement markings thereon is provided to limit the distance that the workpiece shaft can travel past the cutting area. This stop rod extends transversely through the support block of the device and is held at a predetermined location by a threaded extension within a cooperating bore which extends perpendicular to the stop rod itself. This threaded extension is integral with the support block grip and manipulating handle. By rotating the handle, the end of the threaded extension is forced against the stop rod, holding it in place. In an alternative embodiment, a thumbscrew protruding from the support block is used to hold the stop rod in place. The device includes a base having means to secure it to any flat surface and a pair of vertical members disposed so that the support block is pivotally suspended therebetween. Extending parallel to the stop bar is a workpiece cradle cut into the support block. The cradle has, extending both through it and the support block, a cutting slot perpendicular therewith. The stop rod is, with the aid of the marks thereon, manipulated to a predetermined position that will allow for the cutting of a specific length from the end of the workpiece. The workpiece shaft is then placed in the cradle and moved to the limit allowed by the stop rod. The support block is then rotated in relation to the fixed base such that a cutting blade enters the cutting slot.